Customer Reviews

The Iliad (Signet Classics)

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I am a retired high school and college instructor who taught the Iliad many times at both levels. The Rouse version was always my translation of choice, and it was enormously successful. The complaints (or halfhearted commendations here) miss the point. Most seem to think that Rouse's "plain English" version is a diminution of the original. All translations are! Rouse merely eliminated many epithets and repetitions (necessary in the meter of the poem and unnecessary in prose). But Rouse is extremely accurate within his chosen limits and the result is a brilliant achievement: a fast-moving text (as is the original) that is colloquial where appropriate, noble sithout being stuffy when nobility is called for; the result is an always ongoing, rapidly moving narrative told in vivid, sinewy prose that simply hurtles you along. It does not attempt to give the more complex reading experience that Fitzgerald and Lattimore and Fagles achieve in their superb verse translations; but these are best reserved for second . . .or 17th readings, once the complex story and relations between characters are mastered. And indeed, none of the more famous verse translations (Pope's is to be avoided: it's a beautiful Augustan poem, not Homer)--none come close to Rouse's focused and frightening rendering of Achilles' on the battlefield, once he goes into action. In short, Rouse is in spirit thoroughly "Homeric"--by turns racy and funny, savage, noble, ultimately tragic as, e.g., the dreadful Victorian versions of Butler and Lang, Leaf, & Myers are not and should be avoided). Even with the small point-size in which the text was set, Rouse's Homer is not just a bargain: it's a treasure bought at a small price.

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that as a junior literature major, this is the first time I have ever read The Iliad all the way through. Though I can't compare the Rouse translation to others, I can say a few words based on my perception of it. First, you'll notice that it is a prose, not poetry. This did not hinder the experience for me, but individual readers may wish to experience this classic the other way. I found it to be much easier reading than I expected, with the central characters easy to remember and follow. The story clips along rapidly and is rarely boring. The introduction states that much of the repetition that would be necessary for oral storytelling has been removed for the benefit of the reader, which I found to be a positive. However, there is still plenty of repetition of certain phrases ("and darkness covered his eyes" or "rattling armor" come to mind) and there is no shortage long lineages or lists of previously anonymous characters killed in battle. Still, it is worthwhile to get to know Homer and this seems like a reasonable translation to begin with.

A well-done prose version of Homer's classic; however, I didn't like it as well as the Fitzgerald version. If you're a fan of Homer, he's still the best . . and it's a shame, too, because for pure reading pleasure I would actually prefer prose to poetry. But Rouse's constructions are awkward at times; it's almost as though he fed the original Greek into a computer and let the computer translate the words. Sometimes the sentences don't flow as fluently as I felt they should. And this may be a little thing, but in the paperback version I received, the font is MINISCULE . . so you may want to think before purchasing this particular edition. But it's an OK translation . . if, like me, you would prefer the story in prose form, then this is a good choice.

This version of the Iliad is very appealing for a variety of reasons. First of all it's the Iliad, which is one of the masterpieces of Western Civ. Second, the translation by Rouse is very readable and is in plain English. Third, the price is just right, fairly affordable for a classic. The only potential drawback would be that this edition is not meant to be majestic, it's really rather plain and the print is fairly small. But for someone like myself who just wants the story for a good price, this edition cannot be beat.

With many books, translations are negligible, with two obvious exceptions, one is the Bible, and surprisingly the other is The Iliad. Each translation can give a different insight and feel to the story. Everyone will have a favorite. I have several.

For example:

"Rage--Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
Murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many souls,
great fighters' souls. But made their bodies carrion,
feasts for dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles."
-Translated by Robert Fagles, 1990

"Sing, O Goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a heroes did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles first fell out with one another."
-Translated by Samuel Butler, 1888

"Rage:
Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage,
Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks
Incalculable pain pitched countless souls
Of heroes into Hades' dark,
And let their bodies rot as feasts
For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done.
Begin with the clash between Agamemnon--
The Greek Warlord--and godlike Achilles."
-Translated by Stanley Lombardo, 1997

"Anger be now your song, immortal one,
Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men--carrion
for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.
Begin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another--
the Lord Marshal Agamémnon, Atreus' son, and Prince Akhilleus."
-Translated by Translated by Robert Fitzgerald, 1963

"Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son of Achilleus and its devastation, which puts pains thousandfold upon the Achains,
hurled in the multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished since that time when first there stood the division of conflict Atrecus' son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus."
-Translated by Richmond Lattimore, 1951

"Sing, goddess, of Peleus' son Achilles' anger, ruinous, that caused the Greeks untold ordeals, consigned to Hades countless valiant souls, heroes, and left their bodies prey for dogs or feast for vultures. Zeus's will was done from when those two first quarreled and split apart, the king, Agamemnon, and matchless Achilles."
-Translated by Herbert Jordan, 2008

"An angry man-there is my story: the bitter rancor of Achillês, prince of the house of Peleus, which brought a thousand troubles upon the Achaian host. Many a strong soul it sent down to Hadês, and left the heroes themselves a prey to the dogs and carrion birds, while the will of God moved on to fulfillment."
-Translated and transliterated by W.H.D. Rouse, 1950

"Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring
Of woes unnumber'd, heavenly goddess, sing!
That wrath which hurl'd to Pluto's gloomy reign
The souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain;
Whose limbs unburied on the naked shore,
Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore.
Since great Achilles and Atrides strove,
Such was the sovereign doom,
and such the will of Jove!"
-Translated by Alexander Pope, 1720

"Achilles sing, O Goddess! Peleus' son;
His wrath pernicious, who ten thousand woes
Caused to Achaia's host, sent many a soul
Illustrious into Ades premature,
And Heroes gave (so stood the will of Jove)
To dogs and to all ravening fowls a prey,
When fierce dispute had separated once
The noble Chief Achilles from the son
Of Atreus, Agamemnon, King of men."
-Translated by William Cowper, London 1791

Achilles' baneful wrath - resound, O goddess - that impos'd
Infinite sorrow on the Greeks, and the brave souls loos'd
From beasts heroic; sent them far, to that invisible cave*
That no light comforts; and their limbs to dogs and vultures gave:
To all which Jove's will give effect; from whom the first strife begun
Betwixt Atrides, king of men, and Thetis' godlike son*
-Translated by George Chapman, 1616

You will find that some translations are easier to read but others are easier to listen to on recordings, lectures, Kindle, and the like. If you do not see information on specific translators, it is still worth the speculation and purchase.

Our story takes place in the ninth year of the ongoing war. We get some introduction to the first nine years but they are just a background to this tale of pride, sorrow and revenge. The story will also end abruptly before the end of the war.

We have the wide conflict between the Trojans and Achaeans over a matter of pride; the gods get to take sides and many times direct spears and shields.

Although the more focused conflict is the power struggle between two different types of power. That of Achilles, son of Peleus and the greatest individual warrior and that of Agamemnon, lord of men, whose power comes form position.

We are treated to a blow by blow inside story as to what each is thinking and an unvarnished description of the perils of war and the search for Arête (to be more like Aries, God of War.)

Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]

I have read (I think) most, if not all of the English translations of the Iliad, and the first one I read as a young man (the W. H. D. Rouse version), I always like the most. I still re-read this version about once every five years or so, and it never disappoints. If you've never read this one, and you love the Iliad, pick this one up. I'm not a scholar and cannot comment on accuracy, etc., but for overall enjoyment, again, this is the best. And while I can't quite explain why, I think this version comes out as more "manly" than the others. Maybe because it's prose, and not poetry, I'm not sure.

For a first read of the Iliad, this is an excellent translation. Though it is in prose, it maintains the epic feel.

Just like you cannot fully understand Tolkien's Lord of he Rings without first reading the Hobbit, you will not completely appreciate the Odyssey without first reading the Iliad, in which the famed Odysseus (hence the title "the Odyssey") is introduced. The Iliad continues the story of "the face that launched a thousand ships." Paris, son of the powerful Trojan king Priam, falls in love with the beautiful Helen, who, unfortunately, is already married to Menelaos of Sparta. When Paris spirits her away to Troy, Menelaos, backed by his powerful brother Agamemnon, wages war on Troy.

The war lasts ten years, and the Iliad begins during the tenth year with an argument between Agamemnon and Achilles over the girl Briseis. Achilles refuses to allow his men (the Myrmidon) to fight until he is overcome with grief when his best friend Patroclos is killed by the Trojan Hector. Achilles then wants revenge and challenges Hector to a fight in front of the gates of Troy. Achilles defeats Hector after having chased him around the city three times. Instead of giving Hector's body back to the Trojans to receive a proper ceremony Achilles ties the body to the back of his chariot and drags it around the outside of the city.

Just as in the Odyssey, Homer infuses the story with many mythological characters: Hera, Zeus, Athena and Aphrodite to name a few. These characters control the story by interfering with various events. An example of this is when Aphrodite rescues Paris from Menelaos during a one on one fight.

My favorite character was the arrogant Achilles. Leader of the elite Myrmidon (their version of our Navy SEALs or Delta Force), he was the greatest of all warlords. Blessed with invincibility and feared by everyone, his only vulnerable area was his heel which is where his mother held him while he was dipped into the river Styx, where the sacred waters made him invulnerable. This weakness spawned the saying "Achilles heel" which is someone's weakness. Another reason I admire Achilles is because when Priam, the father of Hector, came into his tent begging for Hector's body back Achilles showed mercy and gave the body back.

While this is not my favorite translation, Rouse makes the Iliad extremely readable and enjoyable. I did enjoy the luxury of having a pronunciation index in the back for some of the more difficult names and cities.

In the illiad you see many forms of literature in the best way expressed. Homer does a tremendous job of showing what you can do when you are pushed and what some men are willing to do for some glory. It is in my option one of the greatest novel of all time and arguably the greatest war story ever. It is somewhat like our world today. You have two main nations with other ones on the side. It also shows that if you really want something you can't have then you must take it. This book has everything you would want in an epic. Romance, action, adventure, and drama are all covered in this book with somewhat detail. You have men fighting and dying for what they believe. You have women getting stolen by men where the woman wants to be, this creates a since of Romance. Lets not forget the constant action and violence we get when there is a war going on. When you compare it to the other great epic of its time The Odyssey there are many similarites which would indicate that they were both written by the same man and during the same time period. Many characters appear in both. Back to the illiad in the fact that you can never be too safe this novel shows exactly what is ment by that. The greeks were suprisingly bright when they decided to use the wooden horse to sneak there own way into the city. Lets not forget the hero's of the story: Hector and Achilles. They were both great warriors in there own right and many parts forshadow their battle. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a very good story or just someone who is interested by the ancient world and everything it offers. I would also state that Homer was an exceptional poet and that many authors today are nowhere near as good as Homer was. This story was so great that after all...it has its own movie.

Perfect, if you plan on reading this classic in a bus or a train. Written in prose, not verse. This is the copy you need for that little ride to work.